The next morning, Blackwood City College felt strangely different.
Students gathered in small groups across the campus, whispering nervously.
Something had happened.
A student had disappeared.
His name was Daniel Carter, a second-year student. According to his friends, Daniel had left the campus late the previous evening but never reached home.
By morning, the news had spread everywhere.
"Maybe he ran away."
"No… the police are involved."
"I heard his phone was found near the old railway station."
Inside the classroom, the atmosphere was tense.
Even the professor seemed distracted while teaching.
In the last row, Ryan sat silently, listening to every whisper.
His face looked calm, but his mind was working quickly.
Railway station…
That was one of the red circles on his map.
And it was also where the strange symbol had appeared the night before.
This was not a coincidence.
Someone was sending a message.
Suddenly, the classroom door opened.
Two police officers stepped inside.
The entire room fell silent.
"We're investigating the disappearance of Daniel Carter," one of them said. "If anyone saw him yesterday evening, please report it to the office."
As the officers looked around the room, their eyes briefly paused on Ryan.
For a moment, it felt like they were studying him.
But then they turned away and left.
The whispers slowly returned.
Beside him, Elena leaned closer and spoke quietly.
"Do you think this is connected to the strange things happening in Blackwood?"
Ryan didn't answer.
Instead, he slowly opened his black notebook.
The map of the city was still there.
But something had changed.
Near the railway station circle, someone had written a single word in dark ink.
A word Ryan had never written.
"Next."
For the first time, a small shadow crossed Ryan's calm expression.
Someone had touched his notebook.
Someone who knew about the map… the symbols… and the red circles.
And that meant only one thing.
The game in Blackwood had already begun.
And Ryan was no longer the only one playing it. 🌑📖